1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stirrup hanger for hanging a stirrup on a riding saddle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Current stirrup hangers are a simply a strap of leather that loops over a stationary saddle tree bar provided on the saddle as a part of the framework for the saddle on an upper end of the hanger and that extend downward and loop through a stirrup on the lower end of the hanger. Each of the stirrup leather straps is between 1½ to 3 inches wide and at least ¼ inch thick. Each stirrup leather strap loops around one of the saddle tree bars i.e., the two bars that connect the cantle or back of the saddle tree to the fork or front of the saddle tree to form the framework for the saddle. The saddle tree bar does not move relative to the saddle and with the saddle on the horse and the rider in the saddle, this puts weight on the part of the stirrup hanger that is on the bottom side of the saddletree bar thereby restricting the movement of the upper end of the hanger. Because the upper end of the hanger is restricted in its movement relative to the saddle, when the rider attempts to stop quickly, the stirrups move forward thereby causing wrinkling of the stirrup hanger. The stirrup hanger wrinkles at both the fender and at the upper end of the hanger.
When the fender wrinkles, this forces the rider's legs to spread out and prevents the rider from maintaining a tight leg grip on his horse. Without a tight leg grip on his horse, the rider can not brace himself in the stirrups with his feet as the horse stops as well as he normally would be able to and can thus be thrown over the horse's head as the horse is stopping. Not only is this situation dangerous for the rider, the horse can also be injured when the rider is not able to hold himself securely in the saddle and the horse experiences an unexpected shift in his rider's weight as the horse is attempting to stop.
When the upper end of the hanger wrinkles, the leather which is bent around a tight radius at the saddle tree bar will eventually crack and break. Leather failure in the traditional loop stirrup leather caused by frequent wrinkling and bending of the leather can be very dangerous for the rider.
Some saddle makers use D-ring rigging in the skirt of the saddle or in-skirt rigging to help give more stirrup swing forward and backward without as much wrinkling of the leather. However, this type of rigging is not totally satisfactorily and does not provide the amount of swing desired.
The present invention addresses this problem by providing a stirrup hanger for a saddle that attaches around the stationary bar and provides a swivel that allows the stirrup leather to pivot near the bar. This allows the stirrup leather to pivot and the stirrups to move forward on the horse as the horse stops instead of having the fender wrinkle outward as the stirrups move forward. Because the stirrup leather is allowed to pivot relative to the saddle without wrinkling the fender, the rider's legs are free to move forward in the stirrups and the rider is able to maintain tight leg contract with the horse as the horse stops. This allows the rider to brace himself in the saddle better which results in a safer situation for both the horse and the rider.
Further, the present stirrup hanger swivels in both the forward and rearward direction. This puts less strain on the rider's knee, hip and ankle joints. The present invention also greatly improves the rider's balance when riding downhill because the rider is able to swing the stirrups forward. Likewise, the present invention improves the rider's balance when riding uphill because the rider is able to swing the stirrups backward.
The present invention addresses this problem by providing metal plates riveted on each end of a short piece of leather. The short piece of leather is then looped through the saddle tree bar. A first metal plate has a hole in it and a t-nut inserted through the hole and spot welded in place. The second metal plate has a hole in it that is slightly larger than the small end of the t-nut.
Another long strip of leather is provided on one end with a third metal plate rivet to it and provided on an opposite end with a stirrup attached to the second end. The third metal plate is provided with a nylon bushing in it. Once the short piece of leather has been looped through the saddle tree bar, a bolt is inserted through the hole in the second metal plate, then through the nylon bushing of the third metal plate and finally threads into the nut provided attached to the first metal plate. In this way the long strip of leather that has the stirrup attached to it is pivotally attached to the saddle in such a way that the stirrup is free to move forward and backward on the saddle without wrinkling the stirrup leather of either the short piece of leather or the long piece of leather. The nylon bushing can also be replaced if it becomes worn. However, this device will last for many years without any service at all. Because the plates are made of metal, the device is much safer because there is little chance that the device will fail and result in loss of a stirrup while in use.
Further, the present invention will fit any saddle where the stirrup leather goes around the tree bars.